Abstract des Autors

Aim of the study was to assess the effects of increasing specific (paddling ergometer) and non-specific (cycle ergometer) exercise on parameters relating to the ventilatory threshold (Thvent) and work efficiency in 11 young female flat-water kayakists. When these trained subjects were tested using non-specific workloads, their oxygen uptake (VO2) values at Thvent, as a percentage of VO2max (VO2max), were close to those of untrained subjects (74.2+-5.6 VO2max). However, when we tested the same subjects using specific exercise, we recorded values typical of highly trained athletes (84.8+-4.7 VO2max). For the non-specific cycle ergometer exercise, we recorded work efficiency values close to those of untrained subjects; however, for the specific exercise on the paddling ergometer, we recorded much lower values both at the level of Thvent. The work efficiency at two warm-up submaximal exercise loads on the paddling ergometer was non-significantly lower than values at Thvent. Significant correlations were found between maximal-performance VO2 (ml/kg/min) and performance at Thvent during paddling and race performance (0.623, 0.630 and 0.648 respectively). Because the results of both specific and non-specific submaximal exercise tests are different, we suggest caution in the interpretation of physiological variables that may be sensitive to training status. The evaluation of Thvent and work efficiency as supplementary parameters during laboratory studies enables the determination of the effectiveness of the training process.